The field relates generally to electrical power converters, and more specifically, to power converters with integrated planar transformers.
Electrical power converters are used in current power systems to perform a variety of applications. Some are used to convert power between alternating current (AC) power and direct current (DC) power while others convert power between two DC grids. More generally, power converters are defined as devices which change the magnitude, frequency, and/or phase of a voltage or current associated with the power. AC-to-DC power converters may be used in, for example, power supplies for cellphones, laptops, X-ray machines, and telecommunications equipment. DC-to-DC power converters may be used in hybrid electric vehicles, aircraft, and high-voltage DC (HVDC) systems. DC-to-DC power converters further may be used in photovoltaic systems for maximum power point tracking.
At least some known high density DC-to-DC converters, i.e., converters designed to operate with high-frequency power and/or high-magnitude power, used in telecom and server power supplies are built using power components, controls, and transformer windings coupled to an FR4 printed circuit board (PCB). The FR4 PCBs are formed from a composite material of woven fiberglass with an epoxy resin binder with conductive wires or traces added during manufacturing. However, FR4 PCBs have limited voltage isolation and thermal dissipation. Since high density DC-to-DC converters need sufficient voltage isolation and produce relatively large amounts of heat, at least some DC-to-DC converters are manufactured with separate subsystems that are wired together. Such converters with reduced integration result in reduced performance and/or increased cost of the converters due to the separate subsystems.